REDF Receives $250,000 Grant from The Bob & Renee Parsons Foundation to Fuel National Growth.

Today REDF, a San Francisco-based organization that helps people facing the greatest barriers find work, announced a new grant of $250,000 from The Bob & Renee Parsons Foundation. This new funding will further propel REDF’s national expansion and support for more than 100 social enterprises, mission-driven businesses that have helped more than 16,000 people find jobs.

“Nationwide, there are still far too many people who face significant challenges to employment– such as homelessness, incarceration, mental health and substance use struggles, and limited education. Over the next five years, we will be able to use this generous funding from The Bob & Renee Parsons Foundation to continue making investments that work with social enterprises all over the country to achieve our aim of employing 50,000 people by 2020,” said Carla Javits, REDF president & CEO.

“REDF’s outstanding work aligns with our goal of making the American Dream a reality for more people. But without a job, that dream often remains out of reach,” said American entrepreneur and philanthropist Bob Parsons. “By helping them overcome barriers to employment, REDF is inspiring hope and improving the quality of life for countless people.”

REDF has created and fine-tuned a unique and successful business model to address our nation’s employment challenges and is committed to joining forces with partners in the public and private sectors to innovate and advance investments that work. To date, the social enterprises that REDF supports have earned and reinvested $165 million in revenue in their companies, demonstrating a sustainable approach to generating meaningful returns to society.